


Kingdom Hearts: Proud Heart - Book I. Lost Marigolds

by kriisppyyy



Series: Kingdom Hearts: Proud Heart [1]
Category: Coco (2017), Disney - All Media Types, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-25 20:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kriisppyyy/pseuds/kriisppyyy
Summary: An original story about original characters that's tightly wound with Kingdom Heart's main plot. This story runs concurrently with the Kingdom Heart's chronology and begins at the very first game.This project is long term, and I plan on covering all Kingdom Heart's games up to this point, and hoping to also cover the events of Kingdom Hearts 3 as well. There will be lots of interaction with Kingdom Heart's characters, Final Fantasy characters, Disney characters, as well as FF and Disney characters not present in the current games. Furthermore I do not own any of this material, other than the original character's I've come up with.Chapters will be posted weekly. Hope you enjoy.★☆★☆★☆★☆Three siblings raised on an island where everything stays the same.





	1. 000 - Destiny Islands - Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before everything changed.

Although every day felt like summer here on the island, it was inevitable that _this_ day would come. She’s long prepared for it, but the magnitude of pain she’d experience wouldn’t change regardless. 

“Better hurry up or I’ll leave you behind!” her lips were a natural rose, skin the color of bronzed mahogany. 

Three kids trailed behind their mother, the first was a boy of about seven or eight years old, a mop of raven black hair made the bulk of his head.  
“Loma!” he complained to the girl behind him, same age, however engrossed in a GameBoy console. 

“Yeah, yeah.” she responded quickly, eyes lit by the intensity of the button mashing. 

“Sadia, ¿estás bien allí? (are you okay back there?)” called their mother from the font of the line. A little one, wearing a bright yellow sundress and matching hat walked forward happily, one hand grasped on the hanging strap of her sister’s overalls. 

“Yes Mama!” she chirped. 

“Mijo (son), get your sister out of the clouds.” Their mother was dressed casually, in a flowing red blouse tucked into her blue denim shorts. Her majestic black hair rolled in waves below her wide brimmed straw hat, decorated with a bright cluster of marigolds. 

The boy turned around and frowned; “Hey!” 

No reply. Only an aggressive ‘oof’. 

“Heyyyyyyy!” without hesitation he snatched the GameBoy right from Loma’s hands. “It’s family time!” he yelled. 

“Abel!!!!!” Loma screamed and charged, but Abel made a beeline for his mother. Sadia yelped as she frieghtently let go of her sister, who embarked in a murderous game of ‘catch me if you can’ with her brother. It didn’t take long for Sadia to start crying. 

The matriarch, who was pulling a wagon full of beach essentials sighed, coming to a halt before the sandbar. 

As Abel and Loma chased each other on the beach, their mother scooped up Sadia, offering a compassionate smile. 

“Don’t let anyone ever leave you behind, you hear mi reinita (my little queen).” she cooed. Sadia giggled. She loved when her mother called her that. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Laying on a colorful and large tribal printed towel underneath a beach umbrella, a mother watched her children as they screamed and splashed in the water. Other local kids who came to the beach that day quickly joined in on the commotion. 

A woman with brown hair walked up to the blanket; “Ama!” she waved. 

Ama lowered her black cat-eyed sunglasses; “Hey girl! Take a seat!” 

Ama patted the spot next to her, to which the woman happily joined. 

“Interested in a drink?” Ama opened the cooler and offered her a glass bottle labeled ‘Crystal Soda’. 

“You know that’s one of my favorites!” she giggled. 

“Where’s that little runt Sora?” Ama questioned, the woman laughed and motioned over to the water. 

“Right over there with Riku, they’ve been introducing the new girl to everyone.” 

Ama took another bottle of Crystal Soda out of the cooler, popping the cap off with ease. “New girl you say?” 

“Oh Ama, you know. She came here during the meteor shower, the mayor adopted her.” 

“Point her out to me.” Ama took out two straws, handing one over to the brown haired woman. She stuck the white plastic tube into the bottle. 

“You can’t miss her, she’s the one with burgundy hair. It's quite vibrant.” 

Ama peered at the group of kids playing in the waves. Sora was introducing her to Abel, Loma, and Sadia, quite loudly too. _That kids so obnoxious._ she thought. 

The six of them were all smiles, especially when the new girl decided to push Sora into an incoming wave. They all laughed. Innocent, untainted laughter. 

“Mmm, what’s her name?” 

“Kairi. Pretty isn’t it? Sora adores her already. She’s all he talks about at home!” 

“Sounds like your boy’s got his first crush!” gushed Ama with a sharp chuckle. 

“They’re just kids, and actually, I don’t think this is the first time he’s been so enamored with someone either. I have a hunch.” The brown haired woman’s blue eyes flicked over to Riku for a moment. 

“So where did she come from anyway?” Ama took an audible sip from her soda bottle. 

“No one knows. Although there are rumors she comes from….elsewhere.” The woman looked longingly towards the sea. 

“There has to be something more across these waters. That’s what Sora believes at least.” she continued with a tired sigh. 

“Yet another topic he never seems to stop talking about.”

Ama’s eyes sharpened underneath her sunglasses. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your making it sound like she’s some kind of alien.” 

“The islands are all I’ve ever known. But I don’t have a problem with that, I’m happy here.” The brown haired woman smiled; Ama sympathized. 

“As long as we have our kids, it doesn’t matter where we are.” she stated. 

The brown haired woman nodded; “Of course, although I know it's been difficult...without a father figure in their lives…”

Ama didn’t flinch at the notion of single motherhood, at this point she deemed herself a parental master, but she wasn’t about to make that spiky headed runt’s mother feel bad. 

“Death is a cycle of life. The reaper comes for some sooner than others, however…” 

Ama pursed her lips compassionately at the brown haired woman, this next thought was always a comfort to her.

“If we always remember our loved ones from the past….they’ll never die.” 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

As the evening winded down, Ama and the rest of her brood made it back home before the twilight darkened into night. She was a bit tired from the hooting and hollering of her kids, but she was glad they had a good time. 

They lived in a small suburban cottage on a grassy knoll, two bedrooms and one bathroom. The twins slept in one room, and Sadia slept with her mother. 

In the kitchen Ama was putting the finishing touches on that evening's dinner, a home cooked meal straight from the pages of her mother's old recipe book. 

Sadia stood next to Ama, watching the red sauce in the pan cackle to life from the heat. “Are you gonna put that sauce on top?” she asked. 

“Yes mija (daughter).” Next to Ama was a glass tray full of tortillas wrapped and stuffed with cheese and chicken. 

“ Are you gonna put cheese on top too?” Ama couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Well of course! Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to call it _enchiladas_.” 

As soon as she finished cooking, Ama made four plates of food and set them on the table. “La comida esta listo! (the food’s ready)” 

Ama loved to watch her kids relish in the food she made; “Wow! Mama this is delicious!” exclaimed Abel. 

“Mmmmm….” was the only sound Loma could make while she stuffed her face, Sadia smiled after every bite. 

Ama hoped her mother was proud, despite all the chaos she went through every day thanks to her energetically charged children, she was still able to tame them with a warm cooked meal at the end of the day. 

“Did you have fun at the beach? Sora’s mom told me about Kairi.” 

Abel was the first to speak; “She was kind of quiet at first, but it didn’t take long for her to have fun with us.” 

“I thought she was a weirdo.” shrugged Loma, mid-chew. 

Ama frowned. “Paloma, why would you say something like that, huh? That’s not a very nice thing to say.” 

“I’m sorry! Its just this feeling I got, I dunno.” Paloma’s mother sighed. 

“I like her. She was nice to me. She told me she’s gonna teach me how to make stuff.” Sadia offered the table a toothy grin. 

“I liked hanging out with her too. I’m glad Sora and Riku are her friends already. I can tell she used to be lonely.” continued Abel.  
“Well duh, she’s lonely ‘cause her parents abandoned her!” exclaimed Paloma. 

“We can’t jump to conclusions mija (daughter), we don’t know anything about her situation. The only thing you need to worry about is making her feel welcomed.” 

Loma shrugged and went back to eating; Ama looked over at her with a concerned look, Paloma was by far the most outspoken of the three, not to mention the most rebellious in nature. 

Abel was a nice boy who tried to do the right thing all the time, but Ama could tell actively ‘trying’ to be a good person twenty-four seven put a strain on him….and Sadia, the youngest, was a helpless little thing, very attached to her mother or anyone she’s close to...anyone who can guide her through life. Ama often thought she’s become a little too dependent on others.

They were flawed individuals, but they were only children. And all people, no matter how young or old they were, have flaws, including their very own mother. 

Ama got up from the table and headed toward the fridge; “And for dessert, I proudly announce….” 

“Your favorite, tres leches cake!” All three of her kids gasped; “A slice for each of you.”

The white frosted spongy cake had always been an absolute hit within her family. There was no one in this world who could ever say they didn’t like tres leches cake. 

Abel, Paloma, and Sadia pierced their slices with a fork as soon as their plate hit the table. 

The corners of Ama’s rosy lips stretched into a smile. “The rest of the cake is in a pink box in the fridge, but absolutely no cake for breakfast. Entiendes? (understand?)“ 

All she got in response was a chorus of inaudible ‘yes mama’; Ama laughed, her children were savages. 

“You know, I love you guys. Each and every one of you. Very, very much.” She then proceeded to give each of her offspring a hug and a wet kiss, whether they wanted it or not. Paloma was the one who was usually most resistant to mother-daughter affection. 

“Okay, stop! Your embarrassing!” cried Paloma, as she broke away from the embrace. She disappeared into her room, probably to play her GameBoy no doubt. _I regret ever buying her that thing._ thought Ama.

The rest of the evening proceeded with board games and jolly laughter between Ama, Abel, and Sadia. At some point though, Ama decided to check up on her eldest daughter, whose been in her room for over an hour and a half since dinner. 

It took two knocks until Paloma yelled “Come in!” 

Opening the door fully, Ama tilted her head at her daughter, who laid on the bed mashing buttons on her GameBoy, just as she had been doing all day. 

“We’re playing loteria (bingo), wanna join us?” she asked. 

“No, I’m okay.” 

“Are you _sureeeeee_?” Ama tried sounding as obnoxious as possible, which only made Loma roll her eyes. 

“I’m too old for that.” 

“Or maybe you're too old for _that_.” Ama pointed at the GameBoy, which caused her daughter to scoff. 

“Can you just leave me alone right now? I’m almost done with this level!” 

Ama sighed. “Okay, have a goodnight then mija.” she leaned over and kissed Paloma’s head of dark hair before returning to the den. 

As the clock crept closer to eleven, Ama wrapped up a night of fun and put Sadia to bed. 

Meanwhile Abel helped clean up the kitchen, including the dishes; Ama shook her head at the sight. 

“You don’t have to do that.” she stated tiredly. 

“It’s okay, I wanna help.”

“You always wanna help mijo (son).” Ama ruffled his thick black hair; “Never lose that. You should always want to help people. ” 

“Working on anything big tomorrow for work?” asked her son. 

“Probably another wedding dress.” Ama joked. 

“Did you like being married….to dad?” Abel’s voice remained calm, although his father’s been on his mind quite frequently the past month. 

Ama didn’t expect such a deep question so late at night, then again, she knew Abel had been in deep thought recently. 

“Of course. I loved him. But the universe sometimes has different plans for us.” Ama didn’t sound sad but accepting, she’s cried enough for one lifetime already. 

“I miss him, a lot.” sighed Abel. 

Ama put a loving hand to Abel’s cheek; “I know mijo (son).” 

The night was slightly colder than usual, but the day was just like any other. As soon as her three children went to bed, Ama knew it was time. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“Man, why does Riku always ace his tests!?” complained Paloma. 

Ama’s three children were walking back home from school that day, little to her brother’s surprise, Paloma was in a mood. 

“He looks like he studies...Something you should start doing Loma. Instead of playing that GameBoy all the time.” 

Loma sneered at Abel, while Sadia made a dash toward the front door. She was excited to tell her mom more about Kairi and her knack for crafts. Today she taught her how to make charms. 

“Mama!” Sadia called as she entered the house. Paloma and Abel were right behind her arguing, but the youngest didn’t pay them any mind. When Sadia didn’t get a response, a feeling of dread pierced her stomach. 

“Mama?” Nobody was in the kitchen, which was strange because Ama was usually home before the kids got back from school. She’d be cooking dinner when they’d arrive. 

“Mama?!” Sadia yelled this time as her heart began beating with anxiety. 

“Mom’s not here!”

Abel raised an eyebrow at Sadia’s bewilderment, “Well maybe she went to the store.” 

Loma opened the refrigerator door, but the shelves were fully stocked. “Hmmm, I dunno for what. The fridge is full of food.” 

“Maybe she’s with Sora or Riku’s mom. Their friends after all.” he suggested

“She should’ve left a note then!” exclaimed Sadia. Paloma and Abel exchanged concerned glances. 

The three kids searched the house up and down, the backyard, and front yard, but nothing. Abel called Sora and Riku’s residence on the house phone, but Ama wasn’t there either. 

“Abel. Sadia.” Paloma’s voice was grim. “I found it.” 

Back in the kitchen Loma held a white letter up, face a sickly white. Her siblings quickly joined her, and once they realized what was going on, their expressions matched their sisters. 

Sadia began to cry.


	2. 001 - Destiny Islands - Daydreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years since their mother left, three siblings cope in their own ways.

“Are you paying attention Abel?” 

The teacher sighed, halting her lecture once again to bring attention to a student that refuses to _pay_ attention. 

“Hm?” The boy’s eyes flitted from the open window back to the front of the class. 

“I’m sorry, what was the question?” 

“I didn’t ask you one. But I noticed something outside is more important than our lecture on potential and kinetic energy, mind informing us of what that is?”

Internally Abel wanted to cuss the teacher out, but he refrained from doing so, offering her a pleasant smile. 

“I couldn’t help it, it’s such a beautiful day outside. Don’t you think?” 

The teacher frowned; “Let’s try and focus on the material Abel.” 

Several years had passed since Ama vanished without a trace, leaving a note that basically announced the abandonment of her children. Although no matter how much time passed, Abel would never forget that afternoon he and his siblings got back from school to an empty house. 

The day innocence died. 

Paloma sat a couple seats towards the back of the classroom, cracking a smile at the maintenance of her brothers composure. She could tell he was boiling on the inside. 

Sora, who sat next to Abel, showed him a concerned look, but he wasn’t paying attention to the present. His mind was elsewhere, as it was most days. 

When the bell rang and the day was over, Abel and Paloma waited for Sadia to get out of her class, and then rejoined the group on the walk home. 

Abel walked with Sora, and behind them was Kairi and Selphie, each holding one of Sadia’s hands; in the back Riku, Paloma, Tidus, and Wakka chatted about weekend plans. 

“You’ve been looking out that window a lot, huh?” Sora wasn’t the kind of guy that had candor, but his heart was always in the right place. 

“I’ve taken up daydreaming as my latest hobby.” chuckled Abel. 

“Dreams, huh? I’ve been having a lot of those recently. They’re crazy realistic. Like I’m in this church right, but like...in the middle of nowhere.” 

Abel raised an eyebrow; “A church? Feeling guilty about something?” 

“I dunno, and then this monster comes...I can’t really make heads or tails of it to be honest.” Sora shrugged. 

“Maybe the thought of school’s haunting you.” 

“Pffft, anything's better than studying for a science test! Even weirdo dreams.” Sora let out an annoyed huff as he put two hands to the back on his head. 

“Don’t worry, we can all study together. The peanut gallery in the back is gonna need all the help they can get.” Abel was referring to his sister, but Tidus and Wakka can be total slackers without the right push (which came from Selphie half the time). 

In the back, Tidus and Wakka were trying to set up a weekend blitzball game, but Loma wasn’t biting. 

“All you think about is that damn ball. We’ve known each other for how long? To this day I still don’t even know how to play.” The female twin shrugged,

“First of all, it’s not brain surgery, and second of all, your missing out! It’s probably the most fun thing you could do around here.” scoffed Tidus. 

“More fun than my GameBoy? Yeah, right.” It didn’t take a genius to get that Paloma hasn’t changed much since her mother left. 

“Come on ya, we need more people to make proper teams.” chimed Wakka.

“How about instead of playing we do some training? Putting that raft together is going to be a lot easier said than done.” Riku’s voice was calm, yet slightly assertive, a quality Paloma always found so _hot_. 

“I think I like Riku’s idea better.” she chirped. Paloma, whose hair was in a high ponytail, beamed at her silver haired friend, but he didn’t really reciprocate with anything other than his usual serious expression. 

Tidus and Wakka moaned at the suggestion; “Your really serious about trying to leave the island? I told you it's not gonna work, that ocean’s just gonna lead you right back here. The world is round, remember?” Tidus thought the idea was pure stupidity. 

“I mean it sounds like a cool idea man, but does your parents know you trying to sail off into the sunset?” Wakka couldn’t help but laugh, Tidus quickly joined in. 

“Listen to this guy, ditch the sticks and play ball with us.” 

Riku rolled his eyes; “You don’t have to come then.”

Paloma wasn’t amused by Thing #1 and Thing #2’s holier than thou attitude, but their buffoonery caused an idea to spark.

“How about if you beat me and Riku in a sword fight, we’ll play your dumb blitz game.” Paloma grabbed Riku by the arm and flashed a sharp grin. 

Riku responded with a determined look; “I can agree to those terms.”

Tidus and Wakka both eyed each other in silence before nodding their heads. 

“We accept!” they both said in unison. 

Meanwhile, Kairi politely probed into Sadia’s day. 

“It was okay….We just learned about numbers and some other math stuff…” 

“I don’t get why math’s such a necessary subject, but I guess we do use it every day?” Kairi didn’t really know how else to respond. Sadia had become so withdrawn over the years it was difficult to get her out of her shell. 

“If you need it, we’ll help you silly girl!” Selphie giggled, but Sadia only responded with a weak smile. 

“Thank you.” 

Because Loma wasn’t the most attentive sister, Kairi often spent a lot of her time helping Sadia with school work, providing advice and emotional support. She saw her as a sister of her own, who needed help in expressing herself.

“...So how have things been...at home?”

“Kairi…” Selphie mouthed. The brown haired girl wasn’t sure if this was such a great question to ask at the moment, especially with the anniversary of their abandonment coming up. She averted her eyes from the conversation. 

“It’s okay, I still get sad.” Sadia looked down at the ground while they walked. 

“What about your brother and sister?” 

“Loma hasn’t really changed much, and Abel...he’s always thinking about something. I don’t know what though...Probably _her_.”

Kairi narrowed her eyes, she hated seeing a family torn apart like this, especially with someone so young like Sadia. 

“Take a look around you, your surrounded by your family. Even if someone very important is missing from that group, don’t forget you have all of us.” The only thing Kairi could do was offer her that comfort. 

“Remember, I was adopted. Someone abandoned _me_ ….”

Sadia’s eyes widened, she almost forgot about that fact. 

“But because people like Sora, Riku, Selphie, you…” Kairi squeezed Sadia’s hand. 

“...everyone I’ve met so far made me feel like I had a home again. Somewhere I belong.”

“Yeah! So don’t worry, we got you sis!” Selphie piped. 

Sadia giggled, it's been a good while since she’s felt love. “Thank you.”

Selphie glanced over at Riku and the others as they bickered over who was better at a wooden sword. The brown haired girl closed her eyes and shook her head. 

“Loma and the boys at it again.” 

“Another weekend full of macho man competitions?” joked Kairi.

“They never stop, do they?” Sadia sighed. 

“Nope. Should be an interesting weekend though.” Selphie finished with a resigned shrug. 

The sun only started to set.


	3. 002 - Destiny Islands - Doubt or Fear?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abel and Paloma grapple with Sora, Riku, and Kairi's plan to leave the island in search of other worlds.

The orphanage they lived in sat on a small cove overlooking the ocean. Run by Matron Edea, a beautiful and gentle woman who treated Ama’s children with respect and care. Once it was discovered Ama was no longer on Destiny Islands, they were sent to the orphanage to live. 

Sadia and Paloma shared a room on the fourth floor of the small mansion, containing a window that overlooked the sea; Abel slept in a room downstairs reserved for boys. 

The youngest of Ama’s children gazed out the window, while Paloma got ready for the day in the bathroom 

“Loma, do you think there are other worlds out there?” 

“What?” Paloma wasn’t paying attention, she was too busy trying to fasten the perfect ponytail. 

“Riku and the others want to build a raft to see new worlds. Do you think Mama could be out there? In another world?” Sadia’s amber eyes never left the blue horizon. 

Paloma stared at her own soured expression in the mirror; “Your kidding me right?” 

“What if it's true? Kairi came from another world, she’s sure of it. I believe her too.” 

Paloma walked out of the bathroom, both hands on her hips. This conversation had reached a new status of stupidity. 

“You think this raft idea is going to work? You _actually_ think this is a good idea? Don’t be dumb Sadia.” As much as Loma liked Riku, this whole ‘leaving the island’ shtick was getting a bit ridiculous. 

“I wanna go with them.” Sadia stated quietly. 

A sharp laugh cut through her older sister’s throat; “Fat chance, Abel would never let you.” 

Sadia scowled; “I won’t let anyone stop me. I’m gonna find Mama.” 

Paloma had enough of this, she marched straight towards Sadia and roughly grabbed her chin with one hand. Their eyes locked. 

“That woman is dead to us, you understand me? She doesn’t want us, and she definitely does _not_ want to be found by us. I don’t want to hear you talking about her again.” Once Paloma let go, her sister immediately broke down in tears.

“And stop being such a crybaby.” Loma rolled her eyes and left the room. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Abel read a book entitled ‘ _Lord of the Flies_ ’ by William Golding in the commons area of the orphanage. He was waiting for Paloma and Sadia to finish getting ready so they can head down to the smaller island, where Sora and the rest of their friends awaited them. 

Today they were apparently going to help Riku build a raft he and the others plan on using to escape the confines of the island... _if_ he and Loma manage to beat Tidus and Wakka in a duel. Hopefully they lose, forcing an ensuing blitzball game. Abel was in no mood for fantastical foreign worldly nonsense

“Going out?” 

Abel looked up to see the tall and slender Edea standing over him, she always had a comforting expression on her face. 

“We’re going to the smaller island to meet with Sora and the others.” Abel closed his book. 

“Sounds like an adventure.” Despite being abandoned by their mother, Edea was honestly the next best thing. She took care of them, and despite the difficult transition, the three siblings ended up settling in for the long haul. 

“No adventure, just the same old thing every day.” he sighed, getting up from the table. 

Edea smiled; “Then look for something new.” 

Abel was sure the matron was spouting some inspirational bullshit, but he refrained from challenging her words. Instead, he smiled back. 

“I’ll let you know if I find anything.” 

At that moment Paloma came downstairs; “Morning.” she stated casually, briskly walking by Edea and Abel towards the front doors. 

Abel noticed the youngest wasn’t with her; “Where’s Sadia?”

“She won’t be joining us. I’ll explain on the way.” 

“Thank you for breakfast Miss Edea, have a good day.” Abel bowed politely and hurried after his sister. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“Why were you so rough on her? She’s just a kid.” Abel didn’t understand why Paloma always had to have an aggressive approach towards things. 

“Technically, all of us are kids. Sure, she’s a couple years younger than us, but I’ve had enough of that wounded daughter role she’s been playing. She needs to _grow up_!” 

Abel stared at the sandy white trail ahead of them, wishing he could disagree, but he didn’t. Sadia was the only one who didn’t accept the truth as it stands: the fact their mother doesn’t love them. She whined, threw depressive fits, and isolated herself, in that pattern, for some time now. 

“It’s Kairi’s fault, she coddles the hell out of her.”

“Kairi is just kind, you on the other hand could use a little more compassion.” Abel couldn’t deal with Loma’s matter-of-fact attitude all the time. She was such a fatalist, but maybe he was on his way of becoming one too. Maybe this was fate. 

“We are not risking our lives on some makeshift raft just to experience a 99% chance of failure. Its nuts. I don’t care if Kairi is from some 'other world'. Sadia and the rest of them are crazy.” 

“Those are our friends, if that’s what they want to do we have to support them and help out.” That response alone made up the boy’s personal philosophy. 

Although Abel agreed they’d stay put, a part of him wondered about the possibility of traveling to other worlds. But then the image of their mother living a fresh new life in one of these worlds would sear into his mind, totally dismissing the idea. 

In the letter Ama left her children, she didn’t really state a reason for her departure. Abel always thought about the letter’s true intentions; did Ama really abandon them for her own selfish reasons? Or was there something else…

Its this line of thinking that had Abel in constant reflection. 

“You got me there bro.” Loma laughed as the two reached the stairs to the wooden deck that overlooked the beach. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“ _Hiiyah!_ ” Paloma slammed her wooden sword into Wakka’s blitzball, knocking the islanders weapon of choice right back at him. 

Meanwhile Tidus’ rod locked with Riku’s sword, as the two boys grappled with each other’s strength. 

“Whoa!” Wakka was knocked into a daze, allowing Paloma to slide through the sand for a slicing uppercut, slamming the end of her wooden sword directly into the red head’s chin. 

Tidus’ gritted his teeth as Riku began to overpower him, pushing his rod farther and father back until- _SNAP_ , the rod went flying into the sand, knocking the boy to the ground. 

Riku pointed his sword at Tidus’ neck, not surprised in the slightest he won. Wakka laid on the ground, rubbing his chin; “Damn, that really hurt Loma!” 

“You lose.” Riku shrugged and turned his back to the blonde. “Now today I want you two to focus on getting us more wood.” 

“Whatever.” Tidus was very annoyed, and made a mental note to put more hours training. He was so over losing to Riku, even when he teamed up with Wakka and Selphie, three against one, they couldn’t beat the guy. 

“Wakka, are you okay??” Selphie ran over to her friend from the sidelines, while Sora jogged over to help Tidus up, leaving Kairi and Abel by themselves.

“Riku is so strong, so…tough now. He definitely wasn’t like that when he was a kid.” observed Kairi.

Abel agreed, Riku took strength training a lot more seriously than the others, it was borderline obsessive. 

“Kairi, I know you care about Sadia, but I need you to stop putting ideas in her head about leaving the island.” As much as Abel appreciated Kairi’s friendship, he didn’t want her giving his younger sister any useless hope. 

The red headed girl looked down; “I’m sorry.” She knew she wasn’t the girl’s mother or family member, but this feeling of helplessness wasn’t right. 

“It’s going to take time, but she’ll get over it. She needs to learn to heal her own wounds.” Kairi held her tongue, it wasn’t her place to say anything more. 

“Abel, can you help Tidus and Wakka with the wood?” asked Riku. 

As everyone dispersed to find crafting materials, Paloma and Riku were tasked with working on the raft’s main body frame. 

In the middle of the cove’s sandbar, the raft’s skeleton laid next to a clutter of logs and an open toolbox. 

“Hand me a couple nails?” Paloma reached for an open box, pouring a few into her open hand. 

As Riku hammered away, Ama’s eldest daughter tried to understand where Riku was coming from with such a grand idea. She had to be careful with her words, Paloma knew he was nothing but passionate about the project. She didn’t want to offend. 

“So how did you even learn how to put a raft together like this? Google?” she joked. 

Riku smirked; “Books mostly.” 

“Mmm, I see.” Paloma didn’t know what else to say, her eyes laid over the tranquil ocean waves.

“You think this is all a bad idea, huh?” Riku didn’t have to look up to know Paloma thought leaving the island was foolish. 

“I take it your not coming with us then?” Paloma’s cheeks flushed, she didn’t know how to explain herself. _Will he hate me if I say yes?_? 

“I...I can’t just leave Abel and Sadia behind.” she stated quietly. 

“They can come you know. Everyone’s invited.” Riku lined up the next log, he noticed they were just out of wood. Paloma stayed silent. 

“Well, that’s a shame.” Riku looked up at the girl, blue eyes shining in the sunlight; “I wanted you to come.”

Crimson seared through Paloma’s cheeks as she huffed and looked away, at that moment abandoning her siblings sounded like a wonderful idea. Anything to be with Riku. 

“...Why do you want to leave? What about your parents?”

Riku placed the nail in position and started to hammer again; “My parent's will be fine, they won't miss me." he laughed. "Look, I know there’s other worlds out there. Kairi’s from one, and we’re going to go visit her birthplace. That’s only one stop though. You know how many worlds are actually out there? Probably hundreds.”

Paloma’s eye twitched at the mention of the red headed goody girl, sometimes she forgot she was in the equation. “...But she doesn’t even remember where she’s from, maybe it’s all a-”

“Where do you think your mom went? People don’t just vanish into thin air, or appear for that matter.” The girl bit her lip. Once again the silver haired boy shut her up. 

“You think she’s hiding out somewhere on the island? I seriously doubt it. It’s been years, and the islands we live on aren’t that big Loma. Think about it.” 

The thought crossed her mind, but Paloma wasn’t the type to dwell on such things. She preferred ignorant bliss than painful memories of the past. She couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what happened to her mother, but….

“Maybe…maybe you're right Riku.” Her voice was soft and contemplative as opposed to its normal antagonistic tone. 

Riku’s eyes flickered over to Paloma’s withdrawn expression, a part of him felt bad for bringing up Ama. 

“...But it could all be for nothing. Who knows if any of this is going to work....But if there _are_ other worlds out there, wouldn’t you want the chance to find out?” 

Paloma thought about this. 

Did she?


End file.
